Portuguese youngster Renato Sanches has returned to help Swansea City in their remaining five games of the Premier League season.
The 20-year-old joined the Welsh side on loan from Bayern Munich at the beginning of the season and is set to return to his parent club in the summer. However, with five games left to play, he could still have a big say in the Swans’ survival.
Unfortunately for Carvalhal, he has been unable to make good use of his compatriot thus far, with Sanches having endured a torrid season in terms of injuries. In total, the midfielder has made 15 appearances for Swansea, only four of which have come under Carvalhal, but he could play his fifth under the new manager if he is included in the squad to face Manchester City this weekend.
Swansea have done remarkably well to climb up the table under Carvalhal, and currently sit one place above the relegation zone, five points above 18th-placed Southampton. However, with games against City and Chelsea coming up, their run-in is not the most straight forward, especially considering they play two teams that sit in the two places directly beneath them in the table – Southampton and Stoke City.
With four hugely important and competitive games coming up, Carvalhal will take some confidence in the fact that he has Sanches at his disposal again, with his versatility and complete midfield game being a massive asset for the Swans.
The club will have been disappointed in how the youngster’s loan spell has panned out, missing so much of the season through injury, and it remains to be seen whether they will try to turn the deal into a permanent one.
Nonetheless, in his short career to date Sanches has proved he can perform at the highest standard on his day, and Carvalhal and the Swansea fans will be hoping his day comes in remaining few weeks of the campaign.
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